Everglades City
by Captain Mike Merritt
Summer is in full swing! With the heat and the hot water temps, it is that time of year when an afternoon rain is welcome! Sometimes those afternoon rains will get the fish biting. Fishing tends to slow down in the midday heat, but after the rains fall and things clear back up, it can make for an exciting bite, especially inshore where the rains can temporarily cool the water down.
I had a day last week where this exact thing happened. I was fishing with a client, and the morning bite was pretty decent. The hotter it got, the slower the bite was. By noon, it was slow, but there was a rain coming that we could see. We ate a quick lunch before getting poured on. This shower lasted a good 45 minutes. Right after it stopped, I saw a couple of fish feed directly across from us, so we quietly troll-motored into casting range to check it out.
We started catching Snook and kept on catching for about an hour. The water temp had dropped, and even though it was a little stirred up, we ended up having a banner day. By day’s end, she had landed over 40 Snook, with some nice 32 and 33-inch fish to boot. I have seen this time after time during my years of inshore Snook fishing. We have been landing some rather large fish this month, with three fish breaking the 40-inch mark. Things are looking good for a good spawn, and I hope this is what happens this year.
Just remember to get those big ones back as quickly as possible and be careful while reviving them, as the Sharks are also big right now. I always try to troll motor over to the edge of the mangroves when reviving and releasing a big Snook that has fought to exhaustion. We have to make our best efforts as fishermen to protect our resource. I also hear about fish being lost to sharks. It happens. But when it does, it is wise to move on as once they get a fish, they will not leave. So I try not to feed the sharks even though some clients might not understand.
My main target in the summer is Snook. They like the warm water, and there are plenty of big fish roaming around. It just happens to be my favorite target, so I love summer fishing! This being said, there are still Reds around, and of course, Tarpon are here all summer long. The offshore fishing has been reported as staying steady. Snook, Permit, Cobia, and of course, big Goliaths (Jewfish) are on the nearshore wrecks. Add Grouper and Snapper to that by going farther out, and this can all make for some great fishing and awesome eating!
It’s a great time for some family fun inshore and offshore, so get out and have fun. Plan for heat and plan for rain showers. Be safe and be courteous. We all love these Everglades and what they provide for us.
Capt. Mike Merritt
Guide | (561)252-4324 | SnookFishing1@juno.com
